Chris Pirillo » playstation

Are There Any Drawbacks to Being a Geek?

Chris — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:58:57 +0000

Are There Any Drawbacks to Being a Geek? is a post from Chris Pirillo

My mouth hit the floor when I read the title of this thread earlier on Geeks. A drawback to being a Geek – what?! Are you kidding me? Being a Geek is the best possible thing to be. We have it all – brains, looks, girls… what more could we want? The looks, well, just because they are funny looks at times means nothing. It’s just part of the total package that makes us so amazingly perfect, right? And the girls – ahhh, the girls – we all know that Geek boys get all the girls, right? Wait, what? You have trouble finding a girlfriend? Well, perhaps if you showered more often, and stopped being so nervous around the fairer sex. Fine. The looks and the girls may be lacking. But we have the brains! And the brains get us the money! And the money gets us more Geeky gadgets! Who needs girls, anyway?

Ok, time to get serious here, my fellow Geeks. Do you actually feel there are drawbacks to being a Geek? I’m interested in hearing your answers. For me – life is good when you’re a Geek. I’m comfortable with who, what and how I am… and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But I know that not everyone would agree, so let’s have it.

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What is PSP Homebrew?

Chris — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:24:30 +0000

What is PSP Homebrew? is a post from Chris Pirillo

This is Casey Chevalier’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

Do you know what homebrew is? If you don’t, this is a must read. To use these applications on a PSP, you will need Custom Firmware(Cfw). Cfw is only available on the PSP 1000s and 2000s without the TA83v3 motherboard. Homebrew is where the firmware is “hacked” to run applications that people make – and unfortunately, it will void your warranty. After you go to Cfw, you will never go back to official firmware.

With Cfw, you can do so many things that you would never of thought of doing on your PSP. You can even write programs for your PSP! There are literally thousands of applications, and more coming out each day (for PSPs with Cfw). The applications range from emulators, to programs that enable you to watch YouTube and other video web sites. The possibilities are limitless for you when you have a homebrew-enabled PSP.

Some of the best homebrew applications include:

Cxmb – this allows you to put custom themes on your PSP. This is great because you don’t have to mess with the flash 0, so there is no risk of bricking your PSP. You can find custom themes at many sites – just search Google. You can also create your own custom themes with Ctf manager available at: dl.qj.net/CTF-Manager-v5.00-PSP-HomebrewApplications/pg/12/fid/24760/catid/151. This is really cool if you want a unique look for your PSP. Note: you have to download this for the specific firmware you have. That is why I am not providing a link for Cxmb. 
The next application is Ultimate PSP Tube. This allows you to watch videos from YouTube and many other video web sites. When you use this, it connects to your wireless network, so that you can watch videos from wereever you are. The current PSP browser doesn’t allow you to watch videos via your PSP. You can get this application from: dl.qj.net/Ultimate-PSPTube-v1.2-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/24992/catid/151. This is a must-have application if you have Cfw – it might even tempt you to switch to Cfw. 
RemoteJoyLite allows you to stream what is happening on your PSP directly to your PC or Mac via USB. This is great if you don’t have a PSP 2000 and the appropriate cables to connect it to your television. Also, it is perfect for when you want to make videos of you playing your games. I would really recommended this if you are tired of playing your games on a small screen. RemoteJoyLite can be downloaded at:http://dl.qj.net/RemoteJoyLite-0.19PSPHomebrewApplications/pg/12/fid/25081/catid/151 and the source code can be downloaded at: dl.qj.net/RemoteJoyLite-0.19-(source)-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/25082/catid/151 – yes! 
iR Shell is one of the best programs for the PSP with Cfw It has so many features. You can program it to be your remote if you have a PSP 1000. The PSP 2000, unfortunately, doesn’t have infrared capabilities. To program your remote to your PSP, all you do is point the remote at the PSP’s eye and it learns it. The utility also has an alarm clock that you can set to play one of your songs. It allows you to listen to music when you are playing a game, use your computer as somewhat of a memory stick via WiFi, and many other features. You can find iR Shell at: dl.qj.net/iR-Shell-v4.8-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/24861/catid/151 
Finally, in my list of must-have applications is Portable VNC Viewer. As you might have gathered, this application allows you to control your computer remotely – but there is more. You can see your computer’s screen on your PSP’s screen. This works via WiFi. It is a MUST HAVE. You can find it at :http://dl.qj.net/Portable-VNC-1.2.8-CFW-3.x-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/16758/catid/151 – and the source code is here: dl.qj.net/Portable-VNC-v1.2.8-source-PSP-Homebrew-Applications/pg/12/fid/16759/catid/151

Cfw will open seemingly-limitless possibilities with your PSP. The list of things that you can do with your PSP just keeps getting longer by the day. If you are a geek and haven’t tried Cfw yet, you really should.

What Would It Be Like to Play Inside an M.C. Escher Sketch?

Chris — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:23:29 +0000

What Would It Be Like to Play Inside an M.C. Escher Sketch? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I did my best to run through the tutorial of Echochrome. It’s a game that came with my new PSP 3000. The music is actually really cool. If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to live inside of an M.C. Escher drawing, Echochrome will show you.

Echochrome requires the player to control a moving character – which resembles an articulated wooden artist’s manequin – to visit, in any order, particular locations on the surfaces of collections of three-dimensional shapes. The locations to be visited are marked by shadows (’echoes’) of the moving character. When the last marked position has been visited, one further echo appears which must be reached in order to complete the level: scoring is simply a matter of timing completion of each level (or a ‘course’ containing several levels).
However, the character cannot be directly controlled by the player: it moves autonomously, following a path along the surface of each shape in a manner which keeps the path’s boundary on the character’s left (that is, in order of preference, turning left, proceeding straight ahead, turning right, or turning back on itself).
The unique aspect of the game is that the path can be altered merely by rotating the shapes and viewing them from a different perspective: for instance if a gap or obstacle is obscured, the character will behave as if the path continues behind the object which currently obscures the gap or obstacle from view. Similarly, if discontinuous shapes or parts of the same shape appear, from the chosen camera angle, to form a continuous path, the character will traverse from one to the other.
Although the character cannot step off the surface of a shape, there are certain points where it may jump off or fall. It then falls downwards to whatever appears to be below it, or off the bottom of the screen to be rematerialized at a previous position. This behaviour forms one of the most compelling aspects of the game because the player must deliberately interpret the three dimensional world as if it were two dimensional in order to determine where the character will land.

The game is totally worth trying, and buying. If you’re into puzzles, or are a fan of M.C. Escher… you’ll want this game. I probably wouldn’t have bought the game if it hadn’t come with my PSP. I would not have known how much fun it is, and then I’d have lost out. I’m very happy I have it now.

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Are You Ready for Blu-Ray DVD?

Chris — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 07:26:00 +0000

Are You Ready for Blu-Ray DVD? is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Now that the Format War is over (for now at least), I realize I will have to buy myself a Blu-Ray drive one of these days. When I do buy one, it will be an external USB drive, so I can take it with me from one machine to another in my house. I’m not in a rush, however. One of our Community members sent in the following top five list, of reasons to not rush out to buy a Blu-Ray drive.

The best Blu-Ray player currently on the market is a game console. I am not criticizing the PS3s video capabilities. It has been said by many that it’s one of the best Blu-Ray players out there. I just feel like there is something wrong with this picture. I mean, you are going to create a new video format and the best player for that format is a device that was not even designed with video playback as its primary function? Don’t get me wrong. I love the idea that consoles are more than just gaming machines. Something just feels wrong about it being the BEST Blu-Ray player. I don’t know why I feel that way, I just do. Plus… I would rather have a dedicated player.
Video availability. This will probably become less of an issue in the coming months now that HD-DVD is dead. I understand that there are great movies out there for the Blu-Ray… however they are not numerous enough yet to warrant the investment.
Evolving standard. This is where I will contradict myself a little. If you must purchase a Blu-Ray player today, PLEASE get the PS3. I say this because almost all the current Blu-R,ay players are somewhat obsolete. The great majority of players out there are v.1.0, while the newer players are v. 1.1. Later this year Sony will introduce v. 2.0 for their Blu-Ray players. I may be wrong about this, but while most players will allow you to upgrade the firmware… none are wi-fi capable. The ps3 is already wi-fi capable (so there is no need to route a broadband wire) and Sony has been excellent when it comes to expanding the capabilities of the PS3.
Price. I am not willing to pay the current prices for a Blu-Ray player. When it comes down to about $200 or so, I will entertain the thought. For now, I will assume a wait and see position.
DVD. I just can’t find a compelling reason to let go of my dvd player. Yes, I know Blu-Ray looks better, but is it honestly that much better? DVD had a clear advantage over VHS, but can the same be said for Blu-Ray over DVD? I also don’t feel like it has a “killer app” or a must-have feature. Some people used the lack of WOW feature as their main reason not to move to Vista… and I honestly believe the same could be said about the Blu-Ray format.

After this was posted, I received the following email and wanted to share it in this post.

You said to chime in as to why we chose one format over the other, and here is my 2 cents. I myself chose Blu-Ray because I am a big fan of Sonys game consoles (yes, a playstation man thru and thru). From a gamers stand point, being able to put much more information per disc, was going to allow Sony (at least in my mind) to smoke the competition with the potential of their gaming consoles graphics and gameplay. I don’t have an HDTV (trust me, i’m workin on it) so HD movies didn’t tickle my fancy. I stayed away from the movie player scene. This is probably the most basic answer you’d hear for people who are pro Blu-Ray, but I figured I might as well tune in. Oh, and as a side note, the potential for Blu-Ray far exceeds the gaming and movie scene. The potential for just storage or large amounts of information as a hard copy backup for corporations or just the general users… Blu-Ray can be written in quad layers for 100gigs of information.

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PSP Tips

Chris — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 03:11:14 +0000

PSP Tips is a post from Chris Pirillo

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Do you own and use a PSP? Do you take good care of it? These aren’t cheap devices, and you wouldn’t want them to break unexpectedly, would you? Here are some tips for keeping your PSP in excellent working condition.

Keep ALL parts free of dust. Just like a computer, dust can damage PSP components and even the screen. One time, I left my PSP in a dusty place when I went on vacation. When I came back, there was a one inch CRACK on the screen.
Buy a PSP case rather than a PSP pouch. A case is hard and a pouch is soft. This means, if you accidentally drop your PSP while it’s in a case, it will survive the fall. Doing this acually guarantees a longer life span for your PSP.
ONLY purhase a memory stick duo that has enough memory for what you need. For example, it’s no use buying a 2 GB Memory stick duo, if you only use the PSP occasionally, and you put like 5 songs and 10 pictures on it. This will save you money and not make you feel as though you wasted money.
Always check the status of your PSP’s battery. You may not know this, but as time goes on battery capacity actually decreases. If you don’t replace the battery at all, it will come to a point where it will only run on the charger plugged into an outlet. So if you notice that battery life is getting shorter, get a new one.
When playing a UMD game, NEVER, under any circumstances attempt to remove the UMD when the game is in session! This will actually corrupt the data on the UMD, and lead to the disk being no longer useable. If you want the remove it, first go to the home page and then remove the disk. This saves the UMD and even parts of the PSP.

Always plug in your ac adapter BEFORE doing any firmware upgrading (the countless times i’ve heard of people losing power and bricking their psp is almost untrue!)
Make sure to buy memory sticks from reputable online shops or even retail shops, as fake cards are a waste of money and you risk jeopardizing your precious game saves and music!!!
If you want to convert DVDs to play from your memory stick, download DVDFab HD Decrypter 4 and ImTOO DVD to PSP converter. They work very well with each other, the first removes any copyright encrytion from your dvd and store it to your hard drive. Once complete use the ifo file with the ImTOO converter. (You can specify what resolution and even what bit rate your film will be made at, i get my films down to about 400mb at decent quality).
Invest in the SONY PSP media manager 2.5 PRO. It has a backup utility and if you have PSone games downloaded from Playstation Store, you can use it to store these on your PC hard drive.
If you haven’t already got a wireless router get one they make updating and PSP’s much more fun especially playing Killzone Liberation, Worms Open Warefare 2 or wipeout pulse.

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Unpacking a New PSP Slim

Chris — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 21:06:38 +0000

Unpacking a New PSP Slim is a post from Chris Pirillo

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I love my PSP. The screen is amazing, and it’s great to watch movies on when I travel. I’m a casual gamer, so this has fit my needs well. I was anxious to try the new PSP Slim this week, and decided to open it on a video.

When the PSP first came out, I wasn’t planning to ever get one. I was still mad at Sony over the whole “memory stick” thing. However, after playing a friends’ PSP, I realized I had to have one. As I said already, I LOVE mine, and use it often. I’ve been looking forward to this newest version.

This new PSP Slim is purported to be slimmer, faster, and have more memory. I bought the Limited Edition Daxter bundle. Upon opening it, I can tell it’s not only slimmer, but it’s also significantly lighter. It feels better in the hands. The buttons are, of course, in the same place as the older PSP. In this new version, you can connect your PSP to the TV for gaming and such.

The LCD screen is much brighter and crisper. THe memory is definitely doubled. The colors it comes in are excellent. I of course, chose silver. I love silver gadgets! RSS is a bit better with it, but still not quite where it should be. I have to also give Sony credit for updating the firmware quite a bit. Specs from the website:

Heart-pounding game play and mobile entertainment now fit into smaller pockets. The latest PSP handheld system is 19% thinner and 33% lighter than the previous model, with twice the memory—now 64MB—for faster loading times. To get you started on the action, this bundle comes with the new Ice Silver PlayStation Portable system, Daxter adventure game and the hilarious Family Guy: Freakin’ Sweet Collection UMD movie. In addition, this pack features 1GB Memory Stick PRO Duo media, an AC power cord, AC adapter and a smaller, more efficient battery pack that lasts up to six hours. Featuring 64MB of internal system memory and a dedicated PSP® CPU running at up to 333MHz, the PSP has the horsepower you need for an unmatched gaming experience. The 4.3″ LCD screen sports a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, 480 x 272 pixel resolution, and 16.7 million colors for graphics that come alive on the screen.

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How to Handle Remote Tech Support

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:30:00 GMT

Using GoToAssist is the easiest way to view and control another person's computer online. Use it to provide instant technical support to family, friends and customers. Start a session with just one click, and instantly connect with the other party.

Network Tools for Windows

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

You need these network tools, no matter which operating systems and networks you have to support. SolarWinds ipMonitor: Affordable Network Monitoring for SMBs. Get turnkey network, server and application availability monitoring with SolarWinds ipMonitor v9.0. This easy-to-use, reliable solution for SMBs delivers out-of-the-box availability monitoring so you always know exactly what's up with Active Directory, DNS, Exchange, FTP, Web, IMAP, MS SQL Server, and SMTP. Download your free trial today. Or, try their totally free tools! And, through 2/29, save 20% when you purchase ipMonitor 9.0.

Get Your Own Web Site

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

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VMware and Parallels for Virtual Machines

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 06:30:00 GMT

It doesn't matter if you're running on Windows or Mac OS X - every power user needs either Parallels or VMware (or both). There's never been an easier way to test software without destroying your primary operating system's stability. Think of how many times you wish you could press a 'reverse' button on your computer. Plus, there's no easier way to try new Linux distributions - see what all the fuss is about. Run Windows in OS X, run Linux in Windows, but the best way to do either is with VMware and/or Parallels.

Coupons for Online Shopping

chris@lockergnome.com (Chris Pirillo) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 07:56:13 GMT

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